2018 Cadillac Cts 3.6l Luxury on 2040-cars

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Such Sweet Sorrow: Cadillac's CTS-V gets an Irish wake

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The honkin', stonkin' second-generation CTS-V, powered by Cadillac's brawny supercharged 6.2-liter V8 has been a very good thing. And now that the 500 final coupes – the only CTS-Vs designated 2015 models – have been built (just five remain unsold as of this writing), it is indeed a good thing that's come to an end. But Cadillac is not letting 2009–2015 CTS-V go gently into that good night, even as its replacement is poised to debut in just in just two months at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Instead, Cadillac invited us to Austin's Circuit of the Americas racetrack for what it called an "Irish wake" for the model that has proven to be one of the quickest and most charismatic models in General Motors' history. If you don't know what an Irish wake is, if you envision storytelling, songs, debauchery and more than a little liquor, you'll be in the ballpark. In this case, though, adrenaline substituted in for the booze, with squealing tires and shrieking V8s providing the singing. The debauchery took the form of an all-you-can-drive lapping of COTA in all three bodystyles – coupe, sedan and wagon – and the stories were told by the grins plastered on our faces all day. First and foremost, we'll miss the CTS-V's perfect balance of luxury and sportiness. Even after six years with no major changes, the CTS-V is surprisingly spry. Certainly, you never forget that it's a heavy thing, weighing in anywhere between 4217 pounds for the manual-equipped coupe to 4424 for an automatic wagon, but with 0-60 times of about four seconds and the ability to hit about 150 mph on COTA's back straight, the Vs remain an absolute hoot on the track. Sure, some of its details – the blocky front fascia shapes and the spoiler on the sedan and coupe models, for example – look a bit dated, but the overall design still looks sufficiently badass. The interior design has worn pretty well, too, and however Cadillac may feel about center stack buttons being so last decade, we favor them over the capacitive-touch madness of today's CUE system. We're not going to bother doing another full review of the car here, but suffice it to say, there is plenty we will miss. First and foremost, will be the CTS-V's perfect balance of luxury and sportiness. Rumor has it that Cadillac will offer the 6.2-liter LT4 V8 in the next generation (we predict about 600 hp), but we hear that the new car will skew more toward luxury than balls-out performance.

Cadillac CT5 spied with quad exhaust, could signal a hotter version is coming

The 2020 Cadillac CT5 just broke cover at the NY Auto Show this year, but one of our spy shooters caught one decked out in camouflage looking a bit different than the versions we've already seen. Instead of the dual exhaust on both the turbocharged four-cylinder and twin-turbo V6, this one has a quad exhaust outlet. We'll note that the placement of the quad outlets is one and the same with the two larger outlets on the CT5 already revealed. Also, the rest of the car looks relatively ho-hum. It has the wheels from the CT5 Sport trim, and the front end appears to most closely represent the Luxury trim. Some of the coverings appear to be opened up on that front end, possibly in an attempt to increase airflow. The most obvious change of them all is the quad exhaust, though, which brings us back to a conversation we had with a Cadillac representative at the car's initial media launch. As we were standing around gawking at the new CT5 in Sport trim, a brand representative told us all the "Sport" models (four-cylinders and V6s) would be getting quad exhaust, while the "Luxury" trims would get dual exhaust. We pointed at the CT5 Sport right in front of us and noted that it just had a dual exhaust setup. This ended up causing more confusion, as the Cadillac representative was adamant that they had seen the CT5 Sport with quad exhaust. When all was said and done, there wasn't exactly a clear explanation given for what was up with this mysterious CT5 model with quad exhaust, so we left it at that. We can guess, though. Perhaps the Cadillac rep had seen a Sport model with quad exhaust, but it was a future "V-Sport" variant we weren't allowed to know of yet. Cadillac hasn't revealed its future plans for the CT5 fully, but it did hint that at least one performance variant would be on the way. This camo'd up car here does not look anything like a full-on V model, but it could be the beginnings of a slightly more powerful version of the sport sedan. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 makes 335 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Of course, there's always room for more power in this class, and a V-Sport model would slot in nicely to the new sedan's range. Keep in mind this all remains speculative in nature. However, our curious conversation with Cadillac combined with these spy shots signal that something could be afoot.

Super Cruise will make 2018 Cadillac CT6 semi-autonomous

General Motors has been working on its semi-autonomous driving system for years. Called Super Cruise, it had initially been slated for a fall 2016 debut. Of course, something as critical to safety as a self-driving system should ideally have the bugs worked out before putting it in the hands of customers, and the launch date had to be pushed back. It appears that Super Cruise is road-ready now, as Cadillac has announced the system will be available in the 2018 CT6 sedan when it goes on sale this fall. Super Cruise offers hands-free driving on the highway, taking control of steering and speed under the supervision of the driver. An attention detection system – a camera and infrared lights that track head position – ensures that the driver is paying attention and is available to take over driving responsibilities. If needed, Super Cruise will initiate a series of nags, including a flashing light bar on the steering wheel, to regain the driver's attention. If the driver is unresponsive, the system can bring the car to a safe stop and use OnStar to call first responders. The system employs a suite of sensors, cameras, and GPS, as well as precision lidar-scanned map database, to place the car where it needs to be on the road and in the center of its lane. It only works if the sensors detect appropriate road conditions, and is limited to the more predictable terrain of divided highways with on- and off-ramps. Yes, it's limited, but safety is paramount, and drivers who spend a lot of time on the highway will appreciate the convenience nonetheless. Related Video: